Banks of lidded containers of transparent acrylic plastic are now used in stores to display bulk goods and to allow self-service. Such containers are especially convenient in health food stores stocking an assortment of grains and nuts. The hinges on the lids of these containers are subject to heavy use and tend to wear out quickly, requiring replacement of the whole container which is expensive in material, or of the hinge itself which is expensive in labour.
Snap-on plastic hinges are known which have a pair of jaws joined by a flexible strip and which are employed by clipping the jaws over strips protruding from each of two panels to join them. Such a hinge is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,971 issued Jan. 2, 1979 to Saarloos. A similar jaw with a serrated gripping surface is shown in French Pat. No. 2,495,682 to Petitcollot in which the jaw clamps directly onto the panel with no intervening strip. However, with smooth acrylic plastic such hinges are not effective for heavy use.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge, for mounting a panel, which is both effective and easy to replace.